


Second Chances

by StarlightXNightmare



Series: Drawbacks [4]
Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-24
Updated: 2018-04-24
Packaged: 2019-04-27 01:52:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14415096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarlightXNightmare/pseuds/StarlightXNightmare
Summary: The crew have many hurdles to overcome after all their time spent in the studio. Relationships have been brought together and shattered; minds have been bent and broken; fears forgotten and gathered; rivalries abandoned and forged; family members and friends dead and gone over the thirty years they've been trapped... But that doesn't mean they've given up. Far from it actually. Those relationships from before may be different now, but that doesn't mean they'll let that keep them down. Some of the changes are welcome and some are not. If they want a different outcome, they'll have to work for it.





	Second Chances

**Author's Note:**

> This one took a while to write but after a long wait, here's the next installment to Drawbacks!

Understandably, the thirty years in the studio changed people. Most of the survivors relied on others heavily; they couldn't spend a moment alone in fears that this was all some cruel dream their brains made to torture them with what could never be. Most of them couldn't function properly without another there in the same room, excluding Henry, Joey, and Norman. Nearly everyone had to have physical contact at every waking and resting moment of the day and night: the physical contact helped keep nightmares away longer and soothed their fears and anxieties. Many old habits and fears the crew had had bit the dust and new ones formed.

While Henry may have used the Ink Machine and a spellbook to reverse the damages of the Ink and Joey's torture, the Ink had been too deeply engraved in their veins and mind. They may have regained their human form and have their human consciousness in control, it didn't stop the Ink from taking over every now and then either when their emotions spiraled out of control, when things reminded them of the studio, or at random really. The studio members would relapse into their cartoon and monster mindset.   

Yet... in some strange way, the nightmare that occurred at the studio had brought some people together.

Susie and Allison were inseparable despite Susie having a personal vendetta against Allison for "stealing" her part a few weeks prior to their deaths. They had some odd bond between each other: they always knew what the other was thinking or feeling and often spoke at the exact same time, saying the exact same words. It didn't matter when or where they were, they were always touching one another: playing with one another's hair; holding hands; sitting close to one another so that their legs touched; lying on each other on the couch; they shared the same bed, limbs tangled together as they breathed in unison. They threw a fit when one was not in their sight: they cried, screamed, dissolved into a panic attack, reverted back to their "Alice Angel" personality, and often got themselves or other hurt in the process. There was only so much another person, who wasn't one of the girls, could do for them.

Thomas, Grant, and Shawn grew closer than ever with their time as the deformed and mutated Butcher Gang. At first, Thomas and Shawn had worked on the same level often, leading Thomas to introduce him the Grant whom he had befriended a couple months before Shawn begun working at Joey Drew Studios. After that, Grant left his office more to hangout with the two, and they frequently went to bars to drink together and play poker. Now they rarely left one another's side. Thomas and Shawn were what kept Grant from bursting into tears. Thomas and Grant were the ones who calmed Shawn down when he got angry. Shawn and Grant were the ones who kept Thomas warm at night when he complained about the phantom cold he felt after being trapped in the ink. They balanced each other out. They, too, shared a bed and were always initiating physical contact with another.

Sammy and Wally, despite having a rocky relationship before everything went to hell, grew closer as well. Before, Sammy had been fed up with Wally's clumsy, forgetful, anxious, and overly cheerful attitude. Now, Sammy helped wally without complaint whenever he couldn't remember something, fell over, had a panic attack, and even agreed with him on his optimistic outlook on life. Wally helped Sammy in any way he could, which was mainly getting coffee or being a relatively happy person. They were completely unable to function without the other: Wally having been Sammy's seeing eye dog when he was blind (after he had torn off his Bendy mask and renounced his god) while Sammy had been a friend who kept Wally company when Henry had brought them together. Like all the others, they normally were touching each other: mainly holding hands, hugging, cuddling, Sammy throwing a protective arm over Wally, Sammy ruffling Wally's hair, and rare enough, a kiss on the forehead or something like that. After Sammy having a rather one sided argument with Wally about him sleeping on the floor, Wally gave in and shared the bed with Sammy and Henry.

Norman had been pulled into Sammy, Wally, and Henry's little group. The three made sure wherever Norman was wasn't in complete silence. Norman still preferred his own company over a large group, so he tended to hang on the outskirts of the group, staying silent unless he was needed. While he did choose to move the recliner chair from Susie and Allison's shared room to Henry's room, he ultimately chose to sleep as far from the three as possible. He reasoned it'd be better if he wasn't in immediate contact with someone if he woke up as The Projectionist rather than himself. It was a good plan seeing as occasionally this did happen.

Oddly enough, Sammy and Joey hung around each other a bit, but definitely not often. It made some sense seeing as Joey had been Bendy, the "god" Sammy had worshipped for all those years. While Sammy was beyond pissed at Joey for everything he's done to them, he only hung around him to make sure he didn't go off the deep end again. (It definitely wasn't the fact that Joey had given him a job after hearing him play a stolen guitar on the streets when he was nineteen and that Sammy still felt some sort of parental bond with the man.) Whenever Joey had a panic attack or reverted back to "Bendy", someone would go get Sammy so he could play his banjo and sing to Joey. 

However... the time spent in the studio did a lot more wrong than right. Everyone had unbelievable amounts of trauma and they were having extreme amounts of difficulty coping and relearning things that used to come to them as naturally as breathing.

Henry was having problems relaxing, even in his own home. He slept with the fire axe from Joey Drew Studios resting on his bedside table. He was having trouble digesting solid foods again after nearly a full month of living off of bacon soup and was struggling to gain back all the weight he lost. His back and ribs had been put in a movement restricting cast to prevent him from slouching and messing with the damaged vertebrae anymore than he already had in the studio. He ended up contracting a horrible bought of pneumonia during the last day of him being in the studio, his already damaged lungs struggling to provide him the much needed oxygen. After the elevator crash, his left leg had been fractured yet he continued on, damaging the leg from a fracture to a nasty broken bone; leaving him with his bad leg he had injured in the war to drag him through the studio. After all the injuries and mental trauma he suffered in that span of time, his doctor firmly told him to take a break from his drawings, stories, and work to rest. Just another reminder that he wasn't exactly in his prime anymore. He wouldn't be surprised if he died soon, within a few months to a year or two with all the strain he's been putting on his body, mind, heart.

Joey was mainly having problems with the others living in the house (though his sanity certainly wasn't holding up too well either). He made everyone angry, scared, or both by simply existing. He's been feebly attempting to apologize for his actions, but no one other than Wally (the poor kid was unable to hold a grudge against anyone and forgave him right when Joey asked) was ready to forgive him yet. Other than that, his bad leg had been acting up, though it wasn't to be expected. Oddly enough though, his weakening muscles weren't getting any worse and steadily he's been relying on his cane more than his wheelchair. Recently that day, everyone had seen the man stumbling along without his cane much to their disbelief.

Sammy's been struggling to relearn how to play all of his instruments now that he had all five fingers and his eyes again. His normally angry and tired temperament was replaced with a quiet, grateful attitude, which bothered everyone since that wasn't the Sammy they remembered. The smell of ink would tip him back over the edge, turning his mind back into the lunatic prophet who praised Bendy.The former loner who wanted nothing to do with the people around him was now heavily dependent on his former coworkers. He'd play the banjo until his fingers were bloody and raw and sang until he nearly lost his voice. He was grotesquely thin, his bones (mainly his ribcage) prtruding and poking painfully at the thin layer of skin covering his skeleton. Nearly every time, Wally or one of the others had to remind him to eat. In some ways, he still was the Sammy they all knew before all of this.

Wally's memory was spotty still. He was still remembering things every now and then about his life before the studio went to hell. Quite often he'd forget people, names, places, events, dates, and in severe cases, who he was. The formerly chatty janitor was relearning how to talk, his stutter and lack of speaking for so long greatly hindering his progress. He'd speak quietly and only when he felt the need to, in contrast to his loud complaining back then. He stammered out apologies for tiny things that didn't need one or for things that weren't even his fault. If Joey was in the room, he'd refuse to speak at all (he was absolutely terrified of Joey). While he was relearning to speak, he was also learning sign language to communicate with others easier and he preferred that method over speaking at the moment. He probably had the most panic attacks out of everyone. He constantly hummed that one Irish tune Shawn had always sung under his breath while he worked, which helped his vocal cords get used to being used again. He was completely dependent on others, more so than before.

Norman's sight that had already been deteriorating had been nearly destroyed: all he could see were vague outlines of where people or objects were if the room was bright enough. Unfortunately, if the room was too bright he'd panic and revert back to The Projectionist. His hearing wasn't doing too well: his ability to hear had been greatly impaired and if it was too quiet he swears he could hear the buzzing and whirring of the projector that wasn't even there anymore. He had a tendency to lash out at people who hadn't warned him they were going near him. He refused to have anyone touch him unless he was feeling absolutely, perfectly up to it. He would be relearning how to speak if he could hear so he was learning sign language alongside Wally and Grant. He still preferred to be an observer than a participant.

Susie was incredibly jumpy and on the verge of tears nearly all her waking moments. She felt as if "Alice's" actions were all her fault and profusely apologized to all she had terrorized and dissected. She had an overwhelming urge to be perfect, trying her best to stay positive and help anyone in need. She wouldn't allow herself a break and often worked herself into tears, thus fueling her self hatred for being so weak and incapable of doing a single thing right.

Allison's nice and forgiving demeanor had vanished. She was reckless, brash, and unforgiving. She protected Susie fiercely and often got into verbal and physical fights. She, too, shared Susie's need to be perfect at one point until she rebelled. She was determined to stay as imperfect as she could, just to spite Joey.

Grant shared Wally's problem of learning how to speak again; he had had his mouth sewn shut for thirty years. He was painstakingly relearning how to do math again, grinning in triumph when he managed to solve a problem right. He did have a small problem of putting small objects and paper into his mouth when he was frustrated or bored but he was fixing that habit by chewing gum. One would often find him feeling at his lips, as if he fully expected for the stitches to still be there despite them vanishing when he was reverted back to his human form (didn't stop the scars from still remaining though). He also cried much more frequently than before.

Thomas was relearning the basics of mechanics, though picking them up fairly well. One thing he was frustrated over was the problem of his love of fishing and fear of fishing poles. He grew uncomfortable and panicky when it was cold, meaning he always carried a blanket around with him. He was much quieter than before, breaking Grant and Shawn's hearts seeing as they had just cracked open his rough outer shell and were holding full conversations with him before they had died.

Shawn was relearning how to make toys again, having Henry donate or sell them when he deemed them worthy of being as perfect as it'll get. Like before he was Charley, he was the one doing most the talking in their little group of three. He was constantly on his feet, making sure he had his right leg and always glancing down at his left arm to make sure it was still intact. He felt at his left eye socket a lot too, making sure it was still there. He was the angriest of the three, still holding onto his fighting spirit after all of these years.

Other than the trauma, relationships between certain people frayed and snapped.

Susie and Joey, who already had a dysfunctional relationship in the beginning, absolutely couldn't stand each other. Turns out Susie had been sleeping with Joey to keep her role as Alice Angel. As soon as she refused to sleep with him once, he replaced her. Susie hated Joey and Joey was pissed at Susie for saying no.

Susie and Wally used to get along quite well; Susie acting as another sister to Wally. Unfortunately when one experiments and dissects another, they don't get along too well with the other afterwards. Wally may have forgiven Susie and Allison for their actions, fully understanding that it was the ink driving them towards perfection more so than their physical selves, however it was the two girls who chose to avoid the young boy as much as humanly possible, their guilt overriding anything else.

Susie and Sammy had left off on bad terms despite having been dating before Susie got replaced: Susie hating Sammy for "letting" Allison take her role and Sammy yelling at Susie for overreacting. Since they had been rivals in the studio, with Susie being Alice and Sammy worshipping Bendy, they weren't exactly friends anymore.

Susie, Shawn, Grant, and Thomas never used to interact much unless they were passing by, at a studio party, or in a group together. It pretty much stayed the same way seeing as Susie would kill all the Butcher Gang clones. While neither of them really trusted each other, they didn't hate each other per say.

Joey and Henry left each other on bad terms much like Susie and Sammy had. It was beyond awkward for the two: Joey having hunted Henry down in the studio and not held out on his side of the deal for the company before Henry had been drafted.

Joey's relationship with everyone had gone to hell essentially.

There were some relationships being mended however.

Joey and Henry were spending more and more time together despite Henry's reluctance to do so. Joey was persistent as all hell and it seemed to be paying off in the end. After much apologizing and groveling, Henry let Joey stick by him when no one else would stick around him (which was pretty much every waking moment of the day).

Sammy and Joey's relationship was slowly and shakily being tied back together with whatever they had left. Mainly it started with the banjo playing when Joey panicked and soon Sammy started singing with his instrumentals. While they didn't talk to each other much, they could easily sit in one another's company silently in relative comfort. Sammy may hold a grudge against him for the rest of his life but Joey had still been his god for a long while.

Surprisingly enough, Susie and Sammy were begrudgingly talking through their problems when the occasion arose. While most of the comments were harsh and spoken with a sharp tongue, there were a few softer comments here and there, hinting back at their past relationship. The two of them vowed to never date again and they both were perfectly fine with that.

Norman and Wally hadn't been enemies before all this, rather Norman was more of a father to Wally. However, after thirty years with little to no contact with one another while lucid or without the former trying to paint the walls with ink from whatever creature that was moving, their relationship had decayed and fractured. It wasn't too surprising that the first thing Norman did was baby Wally when they both got back to their human forms. Sooner than everyone expected, they were as close as ever (though that just may be that trauma often brought people together even closer than before).

Seeing as The Projectionist often brutally slaughtered Butcher Gang clones and the originals, Norman and Grant, Shawn, and Thomas had a bit of a bump in their friendship. Luckily (unlike some), they chose to talk about their problems without much of a fuss and got over them pretty quickly. The conclusion was that the ink made them all do less than desirable things.

Shawn and Wally's relationship took a little longer to heal mainly because the two were always off in their separate friend groups and rarely were alone together. On the few occasions one of them had a nightmare and the other was awake they spent some time together. Within a couple of times of this happening their friendship was back on track. No one really could confirm the rumor about them dating other than Norman, Grant, Thomas, and Sammy, and none of those four were willing enough to pry about what happened to that. As far as it was concerned with them, nothing was going on between the two and they wouldn't know if anything was unless they caught them doing something or if Wally and Shawn straight up told them.

While some people didn't know one another well, didn't hang out with another, or straight up hated someone else in the house, it appeared they'd all be living in the same house together for a long while. It didn't matter if they were all forced to live together: just because they lived together didn't mean they had to like (or trust) each other. It wasn't uncommon for the group to keep secrets from others. 

Unfortunately, that was a problem. A very big one at that. Because if there's one thing that everyone here has learned it's that trust is key.

**Author's Note:**

> I had problems writing this one; it took a while to write actually, like a week or two (maybe more) and this had been written out a long time ago (like a month or so), but I forgot about it and lost inspiration. Oops. I've been working on more original short stories than fanfictions recently, so that's what caused the delay (besides a writer's block). Hopefully I'm back in the game again.


End file.
